Begin Again
by eternal-love59
Summary: She's been hurt before but maybe it's time to let go of the hurt and begin again. Brucas one-shot.


**A/n:** I've had this idea for a while now and since I haven't updated _**One True Love**_ I decided to write something to get me going. So here's a little Brucas one-shot.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I sadly don't own OTH…

**Begin Again**

**By: xXalienatedXx**

It was a perfectly normal Wednesday afternoon just like any other day. For Brooke Davis though, it wasn't just any other day. Never in her life had she ever thought that she would be as nervous as she was at this very moment but she was. It was silly though because it wasn't like she had never been on a date before.

In fact, she had been on plenty of dates but this one was different. It wasn't like he was THE guy but there was something about Lucas Scott that made her wonder. She seen him around school, not a lot but enough to know who he was. He wasn't like any other guy she had ever met, today being the perfect example of that. No guy she had been out with had ever asked her out on a Wednesday afternoon. She was surprised but then realized that this could be the change she needed in her life. He was different and she wanted to see how much.

However, just because she was curious about him didn't mean she wasn't wary. After all it was going to be her first date in eight months since her break up with _him_.

Him.

She rarely thought about him anymore but when she did, it usually left a huge empty hole inside of her that was filled with disappointment, anger and resentment. He was possibly the worst mistake she had ever made in her life, one that she regretted with all her heart.

But now wasn't the time to think about him because she was moving on. At least that was what she kept telling herself because eight months was a long time suffering for a guy who wasn't even worth to begin with.

Eight months.

How pathetic that it had been exactly eight long months since she last went out with someone of the opposite gender?

Eight long stupid months since she last saw that ungrateful bastard who broke her heart.

He broke her. He really did. She would never admit that to anyone but he broke her almost beyond repair. He used her and then left not caring that she had fallen so deeply in love with him that she would have done anything to please him.

He left her in a horrible place, one that she never thought she would get out of but she did. Little by little she started getting her life back but there was always something like an invisible rope that was holding her back.

And who would have thought that it would have taken a complete stranger like Lucas to break that rope. A guy she barely even knew who just moved in to the little town of Tree Hill two months ago.

Life was unpredictable like that Brooke thought as she finished getting ready for her date. But for now she had somewhere to go and she needed to get there soon. She put on her headphones, grabbed the keys to her powder blue Volkswagen Beetle and headed out of her house.

Today was going to be different. She was going to have fun, enjoy her date and forget about how horrible her life had been for the past months. Today a new Brooke Davis was born and she was going to take advantage of that.

* * *

Okay so maybe a new Brooke Davis wasn't born today she realized when she parked her car down the street of the café they were supposed to meet up instead of the parking lot the café had. And maybe that invisible rope wasn't completely broken like she thought it was.

Besides what exactly did she know about Lucas? All she knew was that he arrived to Tree Hill about two months ago and that he was somewhat good looking. He was very smart when it came to school especially anything that had to do with literature. And that he also seem like a sweet and caring guy.

But was that enough?

Brooke sat there in her car thinking about the two choices that she had at hand. She could either try and let go of her past and have a wonderful time like she planned on having with Lucas or continue to live the miserable and pathetic life she had been living for the past months.

The choice was so obvious that it was ridiculous she was still contemplating what to do.

She knew that she needed to move on but she was scared. What if Lucas turned out to be like her ex-boyfriend or maybe even worse? What if she fell in love with him so hard that when things didn't work out, she would be left to pick up the broken pieces of her heart again?

She shook her head furiously. She wasn't about to keep comparing her ex-boyfriend with Lucas. That wouldn't be fair. She needed to give him a chance. So before she chickened out, she got out of her car and quickly walked towards the café.

_Karen's Café _she read the sign of the small but cozy establishment. She soon realized that it was that new café that opened two months ago around the same time Lucas arrived to Tree Hill.

Still she wondered why Lucas would pick this place as their location for their date when movies and a late dinner were the usual protocol for first dates in Tree Hill. She didn't mind of course. She had always wanted to come and checked this place out but that stupid invisible rope kept her from doing it.

With a bit of fear still in her, she slowly entered the small café and looked around for Lucas. She was a few minutes late so she was expecting him to be already sitting down in one of the tables or booths she noticed but he was nowhere to be seen.

Already she felt like this date was not looking good for them. There were signs pointing towards that assumption, Lucas' tardiness being sign number two. The first being her insecurities that happened in her car a few minutes ago. Just as she turned around to leave, a voice called her name.

"Brooke…wait!" Brooke slowly turned around and was met with the familiar face of Lucas Scott. "Were you leaving?" he asked with a hint of hurt in his voice.

"I uhhh, I thought you weren't coming." she said softly. "I d-didn't see you at any of the tables so I thought you know." Brooke gave him a light shrug.

"No, no, no." Lucas' eyes widen when he realized what she thought. "The place got busy about an hour ago and I wanted to help my mom out." Lucas quickly explained hoping his explanation didn't sound as lame as he thought it did coming out.

"Your mom?" she asked in a surprised tone. Lucas nodded his head and for the first time ever during their conversion Brooke noticed the white apron he had on. "Lucas…your mom works in Karen's Café?" she asked tentatively.

He smiled warmly at her. "I supposed in a way yeah but actually my mom owns the place." he told her in a rather proud tone.

To say Brooke was surprised at that revelation would be an understatement. She was more than just surprised. She hadn't expected this and honestly she was at loss for words.

"So um…so this is your mom's place?"

"Yeah it is." Lucas answered with a nervous smile. He hoped she didn't think he was cheap or something for taking her out on their first date to his mom's café. It sounded perfect when he first thought of it but now looking at her face well he was having doubts.

"I-I know it sounds lame me taking you out to the place my mom owns but I-"

"No! Not lame." Brooke quickly interrupted him. "I heard great things about your mom's place about how the food is really good here."

"Really Brooke, you don't have to say those things. If you want we could head somewhere else and-"

"Lucas." Brooke interrupted him again with a raised eyebrow. "It's a great place that serves awesome food I'm sure." she said as she took a hold of his hand and began leading him to an empty table. "So let's just enjoy ourselves."

"Brooke I…"

"Come on Pretty Boy." Brooke winked at him which in turn made him blush. "I'm hungry and I do believe we are on a date." She smiled at him as she continued to drag him to the closest available table.

* * *

Brooke didn't know what it was about Lucas that made her forget her problems all together but she was glad he had that ability. She was having fun, smiling like she had never smiled before and it was all thanks to the blond haired teen in front of her.

They ate their dinner and as they did, they laughed; they smiled and even shared stories about each other. They talked a bit about themselves and even shared some of their interests. He told her about his family and how closed he was to them and he even introduced her to his mom Karen. Brooke was blown away by his mom's sweet and caring nature that she couldn't believe there were moms out there like Karen who instantly made her feel welcome.

In return Brooke told him about her friends and how she wouldn't be who she was without them. She didn't share much past her friends and some interests but he understood. Around the halls of Tree Hill High School, he had heard a couple of things about Brooke's life. How hard it had been for her lately. He didn't know Brooke that much but he knew there was a mystery around her that he wanted to solve.

After dinner they ordered a steamy cup of chocolate and continued talking. They avoided serious talks and just enjoyed each other's company as the night drew near. Around their fourth cup of hot chocolate Brooke looked up and noticed that the place was practically empty.

"Luke…" Brooke giggled, something she really hadn't done in a while.

"What?" he asked with a gentle smile on his face. His attention was all on her and honestly she loved that about him. No matter what they were talking about he always gave her his undivided attention.

"We're one of the last ones here."

Lucas looked around his mom's café and sure enough the place was almost empty. His eyes widen in surprise at the realization and smiled sheepishly at her. Brooke found this to be completely adorable.

"I'm sorry Brooke. I-I didn't realize the time." he said, looking quite apologetic.

"Lucas…" Brooke placed her palm at the back of his hand that was on the table strumming away nervously. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I was having a great time with you."

"Me too." Lucas answered softly as he turned his hand around so that they were now clasping their hands together.

Brooke smiled warmly at the gesture. She liked him she really did. He was everything her ex wasn't but still that didn't mean she was going to let him in so soon. She still had some things to work out for herself in that department.

"But umm it is actually getting late. Maybe we should…" Brooke let the thought trailed off. She didn't know what she wanted to happen next. All she knew was that she didn't want their date to end but she also knew that they couldn't stay out much longer with school the next day.

"Head out?" he guessed.

"Yeah, head out." Brooke whispered out a bit sadly.

* * *

When they got out of his mom's café, Lucas expected to walk her the short distance to her car and maybe attempt to get a second date before she got inside and drove away. However his plans changed when she told him she had parked farther down the street and he was more than happy to walk with her just to spend more time together. Now Lucas wasn't sure why she parked where she did but if she wasn't up to sharing he wasn't about to ask.

They were walking hand in hand to her car in comfortable silence. Brooke didn't know how they ended up holding hands but it just happened. She wasn't complaining though. Lucas' hand fitted so perfectly with hers and honestly she liked the feeling that came with holding his hand.

"I bet you heard a few things about me in school huh?" Brooke broke the comfortable silence between them.

Lucas scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably with his free hand. This wasn't really something he wanted to talk about because yes he heard a few things that he tried to ignore.

"It's okay you can tell me." she coaxed when he remained quiet.

"Yeah…I did but I tried not paying attention to any of them." he told her sincerely.

"Why?" Brooke asked honestly interested. As she spent more time with him she realized that she was right on her assumption of him. He was different. But still she couldn't just let him in even though she really wanted to.

By this point they had stopped in front of her powder blue beetle and were now facing each other.

"Because I wanted to know the real Brooke Davis today and not the one that everyone talked about in the school's halls behind her back." he explained carefully. He noticed the way her face became a total concentration and frowned deeply when she didn't comment on what he said.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked moments later.

"Sure."

"Why did you ask me out?" Brooke asked curiously. He was saying the right words before when she asked him about the things he heard in school about her but still she wasn't stupid. She knew what people talked behind her back. How she was a heartbroken and bitter girl who was a waste of anyone guys time. That she was now un-dateable and filled with resentment because of the ex that screwed her over. So she wondered why he would ask her out when she was more than sure people warned him about her.

"Well…there was something about you that intrigued me from the moment I laid eyes on you for the first time." Lucas told her as he leaned against her car's door. Brooke followed suit and also leaned against her car next to him waiting for him to continue. "It was my first day of school. I was new and didn't know anyone but then there you were walking with your friends down the halls. You were smiling, laughing having fun but somehow I saw through that happy exterior you tried to pull. Your smiles and laughs were so fake and I remember asking myself, why isn't anyone else noticing this girl? Well since then I kept noticing you more and more and I wanted to keep to myself and mind my own business I swear I did but I couldn't. The more I saw you the more I wanted to help you and be part of your life."

Help her? Is that why he asked her out? Brooke couldn't believe what she just heard. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him. "So what?" Brooke stood up straight facing him as her eyes went dark with fury. "Am I just your charity case or something? Is that why you asked me out?" she asked harshly, her anger getting the best of her.

"No, no, no!" Lucas rushed to say standing up straight as well. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it Lucas? Because from what you said that's how it all sounded to me!" Brooke yelled pushing him away when he came closer to her.

"Just listen to me Brooke." Lucas said as he tried to put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

"No!" she pushed his hands away. "I should have known better than to trust a guy again."

Lucas wondered for a moment what she meant by that comment but he pushed it aside knowing now wasn't the time to dwell on it. "Brooke just listen please." Lucas pleaded as he pulled her in closer to him by holding her wrists to his chest. She struggled for a bit yelling obscenities here and there at him but his grip never loosened. After a while she calm down knowing she wasn't going anywhere. Plus she supposed she should give him a chance to explain himself even though she didn't believe he had anything to back up what he said.

When Lucas saw that she wasn't struggling anymore his grip on her loosen but he still held on to her. He took a deep breath. He wasn't expecting his night to turn out like this. "Of course I wanted to help but there was also something more. Something that went so much deeper than my need to help you." Lucas told her as he tucked a loosed strand of hair behind her ear with one of his hands. Brooke rolled her eyes at the act. She was still very much annoyed with him.

"After watching you for a while, I started seeing you as this brilliant, beautiful and brave girl who despite was having problems of her own; was willing to set them aside because she had to. There was no one out there that cared enough to realize everything you were hiding but I did. And you can believe what you want you're entitled to it but the thing is I like you Brooke Davis. I like you a lot and it isn't because you were a girl that needed to be saved but because you were a girl who the moment I saw I knew was a pretty special one. There was just something about you that instantly drew me in."

Brooke bit her lip not knowing what to say to that speech he gave her. She looked at him and he looked at her expectantly. She didn't know what to say. Without thinking it, Brooke leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips that made his heart beat faster. He wasn't expecting it and she sure as hell wasn't either but it just came out naturally for her.

"What was that for?" Lucas whispered out, releasing his grip on her.

"For just being you." She shrugged her shoulders smiling coyly at him. "For taking a chance with me despite the things you heard. And honestly for being the breath of fresh air I needed in my life."

Lucas smiled widely at that as he placed his hand on Brooke's cheek caressing it ever so gently. Tentatively he closed the gap between them again and kissed her. Brooke's breath caught in her throat as their lips began to move with each other so perfectly as if they had been doing this for years. She pulled him closer deepening their kiss never thinking she would ever feel like this again.

And as their slow and sensual kissing continued, that was when she decided to let all her inhibitions go. All her doubts and fears needed to leave her if she wanted to continue living. But in order to do that she needed to trust Lucas with her past love life. She needed to tell him why she was how she was and why people talked about her behind her back.

"Lucas." she pulled away breathlessly giving him a weak smile. "I wanted to tell you…" Brooke started to say but then trailed off when she saw the way he was staring at her. Lucas was looking at her in a way that she hadn't been looked at in a long time and honestly it both scared and excited her at the same time.

"What?" he breathed out.

"I-I…there's something that y-you need to know about me, a-about my past." she stammered out nervously.

Whatever it was that Brooke wanted to tell him Lucas saw how difficult it was for her to express herself.

"It's okay." Lucas soothingly told her. "Whatever you want to tell me you don't have to."

"It's not okay." She shook her head. "You have to know that there was this guy who-"

"I don't want to know." he gently interrupted her.

"But Lucas you have to know."

"No I don't." he stated. "And you want to know why? Because whatever happened between you and some guy doesn't matter to me."

Brooke stood there looking at him for a bit before she stepped away from him and started pacing around. She wanted to believe that he didn't care about her past but what if something popped up in the near future about it and he freaked out?

"What happened in your past is just that your past. And nothing you say to me right now, in the near future or what people tell me is going to change the fact that I like you Brooke." Lucas told her when he saw she was overthinking the situation. "A-And I really would like a second date to get to know each other better." Lucas smiled shyly at Brooke when she stopped her pacing to look at him.

And just like that her walls started to slowly go down and all she saw was Lucas. Lucas who she had barely known for a few hours but that in those hours became some sort of beacon of hope for her. Sweet, caring, gorgeous looking Lucas who wanted to be with her and didn't care about her extra baggage. But most importantly Lucas who was right above all things. She didn't have to tell him about her ex right now. Or actually anytime soon because what he said was true, her past was her past simple as that.

Lucas took a cautious step towards her when he saw she was just staring at him. "What are you thinking about?" he asked as he took a hold of one of her hands in his.

Brooke took a deep breath running her free hand through her long chocolate locks. "I'm thinking that you're right." she said softly. "If I want to start living my life I have to forget about my past and move forward. And if you still want to I would love nothing more than to take you up on that offered for a second date."

"Are you sure?

Brooke leaned up onto her toes and pressed her lips onto Lucas' softly. "Yes." she said in a quiet breathy voice smiling widely at him.

And she meant it.

Because after everything she had been through she was more than ready for a second chance at love. She was ready to begin again.

**The End**

* * *

Anyways so there it is. It wasn't too bad right? Though I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending :/ Hit me up with a review please. I would love to see what you guys thought about this. And yes a _**One True Love**_ chapter is coming up hopefully soon. I'm having some difficulties with it…you'll see what I mean when I finally post it ;)

Oh by the way the **him** in this chapter (Brooke's ex) remained nameless for the sole reason that I didn't know who he should be. So I leave it up to you guys. He could have been douche-y Felix, Nick the pervert, Clean Teen Chase, disappointing Owen, Julian with the forehead, an OC or heck even Nathan. Point is whoever you thought he was as you read this that's who he was.

Please Review!


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